Today I had the pleasure of hearing Valerie Steele, renowned author and curator of the Fashion Institute of Technology Museum. Valerie received her Ph.D. from Yale and focused her dissertation on fashion, against the advice of her professors.
According to Valerie, fashion wasn't seen as a "serious" thing to study. Fashion still seems to have this stigma of being fluff rather than serious academia. However fashion schools including FIT, FIDM, and Parsons are gaining in popularity (all over the world). Student's are studying fashion and in a serious way.
Valerie discussed some of the ways in which she investigated fashion in a professional academic way. For example, she talked about a theory that doctors had in the 1800's. Doctors at the time theorized that women with curved spines were developing the problem due to wearing corsets. However, based on medical investigation, women are just as likely to develop curved spines in today's non-corset wearing lifestyle. The issue is actually a genetic problem effecting far more women than men, and having nothing at all to do with the fashion of the day.
Valerie also discussed marketing, and PR for the FIT Museum, as well as methods for acquiring new garments to the collection, careful upkeep to the collection and ways of coming up with new exhibition ideas. The FIT Museum is small but has an impressive permanent collection of over 50,000 garments and accessories.
Located at the corner of 7th Avenue and 27th Street, the FIT Museum is a great place to visit if you are in the New York area! They offer private back-scene tours if you call ahead.
For more info check out the FIT Museum website: http://fitnyc.edu/3662.asp
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